In 2026, we spotlight why ARoS’ collection is considered one of the most unique in Denmark and the Nordic region. Three major exhibitions in 2026 will highlight the depth, diversity, and distinctive sensory installations within the ARoS collection.

The year is centered around the unveiling of a monumental new artwork outside the museum’s main entrance: the partly underground Skyspace by American artist James Turrell. Opening on June 19, 2026, this remarkable installation invites reflection both outward and inward: up toward the sky above us and in toward the body, the senses, and the intimate interior spaces of perception.

“2026 marks a defining moment for ARoS. At its heart is James Turrell’s Skyspace – a new threshold for the museum, both physical and symbolic. It expands our collection and sets the tone for a year where light, perception, and shared experience guide everything we do,” says Museum Director Rebecca Matthews.

ARoS will also undertake a radical rehang and reinterpretation of its collection across two entire floors redefining the relevance of our collection in dialogue with an increasingly diverse audience. This unfolds within a pioneering and dynamic exhibition architecture, where artworks and expressions can continuously shift in response to the changing world around us.

“We are reimagining the collection across two full floors – bringing it closer to Aarhus, to our visitors, and to today’s conversations. Our goal is simple but profound: to open access and ventilate our collection more, to multiply perspectives, and to invite our visitors into a more active role in shaping interpretation,” says Museum Director Rebecca Matthews, adding:

“Collecting is a deeply human instinct – a way to navigate the world and to understand ourselves. Every work of art in a collection carries someone’s story within its layers. In the ARoS collection, we can pause, find orientation, and hopefully rediscover meaning in an accelerating world. It is a collection to which one can always return.”

On ARoS Level 1, we will present a special exhibition featuring some of the most powerful and beloved installations works from the collection.

“When we encounter sensory installations, the impact is not only intellectual but also emotional – an unexpected wave of understanding or presence. These moments of resonance between the audience and the artwork are among our most vital functions as a museum. They allow us to help transform how our guests experience themselves and the world,” says Chief Curator Stinna Toft.

Exhibitions that reflect the world around us
The turbulence of our times—marked by recent global conflicts and unrest—is mirrored in ARoS 2026 exhibition programme, where themes of war, collective anxiety, and creative resilience take centre stage in two major exhibitions.

Freedom’s Fall features an impressive selection of works from the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin: Kirchner, Klee, Kandinskyamong others. It explores how art has mirrored the sweeping social, political, and cultural changes of the turbulent periods during and between the European world wars. At a time when Europe is once again shaken by political instability and conflict, the exhibition reminds us that art not only reflects reality, it also expresses hope, resistance, and community amid the desperation.

Danish artist Svend Wiig Hansen (1922–1997) also grappled with the dark post-war era in his work, raising profound questions about what it means to be human in a chaotic and changing world. His relentless creative energy and deep focus on humanity and our place in the world will be explored in the solo exhibition Walking, falling, standing opening in May.

For the inauguration of ARoS Art Square, located between Musikhusparken and ARoS’ main entrance, Danish artist Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm has been commissioned to create a large-scale, interactive installation: A Black Hole Calling Us. The installation translates advanced space research on black holes into a sensory and accessible art experience questioning our own place within the cosmos.

Exhibitions that reflect the world within us
This year’s exhibition programme also places the human body at the forefront, highlighting its strength, rebellion, fragility, sensuality, and its connection to both the political and the universal.

The exhibition Unruly – The body in punk puts the spotlight on punk’s eccentric and provocative body, tracing how this creative revolution spread and changed. The exhibition is the result of a postdoctoral research project in collaboration with Aarhus University.

Danish artist Nina Beier (b. 1975) and American artist John Miller (b. 1954) take over ARoS' new Salling Gallery with an exhibition – The Populace – which explores the tension between original and copy, between object and viewer. The exchange of gazes between viewers, generic mannequins and obscure portraits seem both familiar and estranged. This interaction establishes a network of gazes that surround the installation's visitors.

Finally, the exhibition Step Inside activates the senses and bodies of ARoS visitors through sound, scent, sight, light, and movement. It explores how four key artists in contemporary art – Anicka Yi, Philippe Parreno, Laure Prouvost, and Pamela Rosenkranz – offer new narratives about who we are and how we live together in a complex, digitalised world.

“In 2026, we will unite artistic ambition with meaningful public encounters in settings of international calibre. A year that is thought-provoking, timely, hard-hitting, and entertaining all at once. My hope is that the year leaves visitors with moments of resonance – experiences that echo within them long after they have left the museum,” says Rebecca Matthews.

Read more about the 2026 exhibitions here.

For more information, please contact 

ARoS Press and Communication 
presse@aros.dk 
+45 61904942